Improvement in stave-machines



UNITED STATEs PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN J. RALYA, OF ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT lN STAVE-MACHINES.

Speeification forming part of Letters Patent No. 55,708, dated June 19, 1866. i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN J. RALYA, of tlie city of Allegheny, in tlie couiity of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement iii Machines for Dressiug Staves; and I do hereby deolare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptioii thereof, reference being' had to the accompanyin g drawings, forming part of this specifition, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective representation of my improved stave-dressing machine. is a plan or top view, showing portions of the machine in section. Fig. 3 is a froiit view of the head-stock and knives.

In the several figures like letters refer to similar parts.

My invention consists in certain improvements in machines for planing or dressing staves, which are chiefiy directed to the remedyiiig the difficulties arising from the irregular thickness of the rougli staves aiid the twist in the graiii of the wood from which they A are made.

The machine represented in the drawings is designed to be driven by horse-power, because that is usually most convenient, as the machines are portable and are frequently required in localites where steam-power cannot be procured. My improvements are, however, applicable to machiiies driven by steam-power by obvious accommodation.

To enable others skilled in the art to make use of my invention, I Will proceed to describe the construction and operation of in yimproved machine.

In the drawings, A is the horizontal bedplate or frame of the machine, at or near the end of which is placed the head-stock B, which carries the stave-dressing knives C G, in front of which, placed horizontally on the bed-plate, is the rain D, by which the staves are forced through the head-stock between the knives, and are thereby shaved or dressed oii both sides Witli the proper curve and to a uiiiforin thickiiess.

The ram D has a reciprocatiiig inotion to- Ward the kiiives and back again. The for- Ward motion is effected by the segmentallytoothed wheel a, which gears into the rack Z) in the side of the rain D. On the under side of the rani D is a flange, o, which extends ing. 2

downward between two ways or rails, d d, which are fasteiied to the bed-plate A by bolts fi' fi, passing through slots g in the plate e, so that the plate with the ways d d may be adjusted sidewise by the Wedge h. The object of this adjustment is to cause the rack b and teetli of the wheel a to gear more or less deeply into each otlier, and thus slightly increase or diniinish the leiigtli of stroke of the ram D to- Ward the knives O (l, whicli serves all the purposes of a more delicate adjustinent. The return of the rain, after having been forced forward by the wheel a, is effected by a weight, w, attached to the end of the rope j and passed over the pulleys 7o k iii the upright pulley-post E, which is placed between the wheel a and the head-stock B on the fraiiie A, far enough from the center of the wheel to allow the horse to pass. As the rain is pressed forward the rope j draws the weight w up the pulley-post E, but as soon as the rack Z) is free from the teetli Vof the wheel a, the weight Iw descends and pulls the ram back.

The use of the pulley-post E is a great coiivenience, as it has been heretofore the practice to attach the rope to the end of the rani and pass it over a pulley at the rear end of the frame, the weight desceiidiiig into a pit sunk in the ground.

The forward end of the rain or driving-bar D is furnished with a inovable head, l, whicli is crotched or furnished with a vertical groove, a, oii its face, so as to hold the stave in place and preveiit it flying off as it is being forced between the knives. The head Z has a cylindrical shank, o, which enters a cavity in the end of the rain D, and around the sliank o is a strong spiral spring, s, wliich allows the head to yield a little, so that the head can be pressed up close to the edges of the kiiives withoiit iiijury to the inacliiiie.

The piiis 191), projecting from the inner face of the head l, enter grooves in the end of the rain and preventthe head turning more than a little oii its axis. By this arrangenient the head can turn sufficieutly to accoininodate a twist iii the stave in passing between the kiiives O O.

The rain D, iii front of the pulley-post E, slides between guides F F, placed on the fraine of the inachine on each side of it and connected together by a cross-piece, m.

The head-stock consists of a cast-iron frame, B, having a journal, r, at each end, or at top and bottom. by which it is connected with the box G, which is screwed or bolted at t t to the frame of the machine, the lowerjournal, r', of the head-stock entering a circular hole in the bottom plate of the box G, and the upper journal, 1', passing through a collar, u, projecting from the upper plate of the box. The back of the head-stock is semi-cylindrical, the journals r r' being in the center of the curve of the back, so that the head-stock fits close v to the box G as it turns on its aXis.

The stave-dressing knives O O are titted into and attached to the head-stock, through Which there is a passage, corresponding with the space between the knives, to allow of the passage of the staves. The knives are so placed in the head-stock B that the center of motion of the head-stock (or the vertical line passing.

through the axis of the journals r') shall fall between the inner face of the knives and between their back and edge, so that the knives may turn to accommodate any bend or irregularity in shape of the staves.

In order to keep the knives in proper position to receive a stavethat is, with the center of the space between them in a right line with the axis of the ram D- two springs, o o, are placed back of the head-stock B, in the box G, one on each side, bearing equally in opposite directions against lugs .fr which project from the back of the head-stock into the cavity of the box G. TheseV springs allow the head-stock, with its knives, to turn on its aXis to allow a crooked stave to pass, but tend always to straighten the knives and keep them straight \vhen not overpowered by the action of the stave in passin g through the machine.

On each side of the box G is a set-screw, 1/ y, the points of which are in a line with the -lugs a: x, though not quite touching them when the knives are straight. These set-screws may be set so close to one or other of the lugs av ac as to limit the motion of the head-stock on its axis on either side, and by means of the adjustment of these screws the knives may be made to bear more closely on one side of the stave than on the other. The use of this arrangement is that when a lot of staves are so thin as not to bear shaving on both sides the knives may be set so as to shave or dress on side only.

The knives (l G are curved lengthwise along their edge, as shown in Fig. 3, so as to give the proper curve to the stave. They may also be made with a shoulder projecting at an obtuse angle from the outer face of the blade, for the purpose of causing the shavings to break ofi' whenever they begin to sliver and eat into the wood, as described in Letters Patent granted to me on the 3lst October, 1865; or they may be made, as shown in the drawings accompanying this spccification, with a curve on their outer face, which is a modification in shape, producing the same result as the angular shoulder, by forcing the shavin g outward at an angle greater than the wood will bear without breaking, which causes it to snap off just above the edge of the knife.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, as improvements in stave-dressing machinery is- 1. Setting the head-stock or knife-frame on journals, so that it may admit of a slight motion on its axis to accommodate its position qto any twist or irregularity of shape of the stave which is forced between the knives in the operation of shaving.

2. Placing the knives in a head-stock or frame susceptible of motionon its aXis in such' a way that the center of motion shall be on a line between the inner face of the knives and between their back and edge.

3. Limiting and regulating the range ot' motion of the knives by means of set-screws, substantially as hercinbefore described.

4. The use of the movable head-piece in the end of the ram, so oonstructed and arranged as to be susceptible of a limited motion on its axis for the purpose of allowing the sta-ve to turn in its passage through the knives to accomniodate any twist or irregularity of shape of the stave.

5. The use of a spring in connection with the movable head of the ram, so as to permit of its yieldin g slightly in the operation of forcing the stave through the knives, substantiall y as described.

' 6. Crotohin g the end of the ram, so as to hold the stave in place as it is being forced through the knives.

7. The use, in combination with the cutters or knives and ram, of an upright pulley-post to carry the rope and weight for withdrawing the ram after the stave is passed between the knives.

8. So arranging the toothed rack of the ram as to be capable of adjustment toward or from the segmental gear-wheel, for the purpose of regulating the length of stroke of the ram to- Ward the knives, substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described.

9. Giving to the knife-blades a concave curve from their outer edge, so as to form aA ledge or shoulder, for the purpose of turning the shaving or chip outward at such an angle as to break it off just above the edge of the knife, substantially as hereinbefore described. In testimony whereof I, the said JOHN J. RALYA, have hereunto set my hand in presence of Witnesses.

JOHN J. RALYA. Witnesses:

A. S. NIoHoLsoN, ALLAN G. BAKEWELL. 

